Okay readers, this is chapter fourteen. (Obviously.) Now, the next three chapters are going to be the three days that Sarah is experiencing without Rayu. They will be mushy/somewhat-emotional girly stuff. However, I decided to slow down the pace of this fan fiction a little bit, instead of speeding through it like a bullet. Therefore, this chapter will be her first day without Rayu.

commits Hara-kiri I am sorry! Really, I am! I will be a better writer, I swear! LOL

Chapter 14: Day 1

Sarah woke up, later than she had ever woken up before, at 9:30 am. She groggily raised herself up so she was sitting up in her bed. Her four-poster canopy bed had with a silk covering veil around it, white fluffy covers, and two white fluffy pillows. She stretched her arms above her head, and groaned.

She shook her head, thinking. This is strange. Usually mom and dad wake me up, and Rayu would be here waiting for me to come to practice with him. She exited her bed, brushing aside the silk curtains, and adjusting her white cotton nightgown that came down to her mid-thigh. She walked over to her vanity, and rubbed her eyes.

She thought about her dream last night and shivered. She had dreamed that Rayu had died, that he had given her his Seal, that she had met his father and ancestors, and that she was going to bring him back to life. She shivered, cold and afraid of that dream.

She undressed and changed into some loose shorts that came down to her knees, and a white tank top. She slipped on her kunai holster and tied her ninja headband on her head. She was about to brush her hair, picking up the brush and moving her hair away from her neck, when she saw it. She saw Rayu's seal.

Reality crashed in, smothering her and suffocating her. She stumbled backwards, and sat down onto her bed heavily. Tears sprang to her eyes as she remembered Rayu's death, and she put her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook as she softly sobbed.

She lay back down onto her bed, curling up into a ball. She sobbed, and brought the covers back up over her body, hiding herself and cutting herself off from the world. The only thing she felt was utter desperation and like she was alone.

She continued to cry for a good ten minutes, running the events of yesterday through her mind, until she heard a soft knock on her door. She answered loudly, "Who is it?"

"Sarah, you have visitors." Her mother said, opening the door.

Sarah sat up, eyes red and puffy from crying. "Who?" She did not really feel like seeing anyone, but she was curious.

"It's Tamari, Lana and Rachel." Her mother said hesitantly.

"I really don't-" She was about to say that she didn't feel like seeing anyone, when Tamari opened the door. Rachel and Lana both walked in, taking small nervous steps.

They both had their eyes on the ground, hiding their faces. However, Sarah noticed that Rachel's shoulders were shaking…she was either laughing or crying. Then she noticed a single tear fall from Tamari's right eye, and Tamari hastily wiped it away.

Sarah felt her emotions welling up again and she whispered, half-choked by tears, "Guys…come here." She patted the bed, indicating open spaces for them to sit next to her.

Rachel, Lana, and even Tamari all walked over and sat on the bed, and then they heard the door click shut. Karen had shut the door so they could have some privacy.

"I have a question before anything else, Sarah. Why are there two ANBU Black Ops Members in your living room?" Tamari asked, a strange look in her eyes.

Sarah was surprised, until she remembered that she was going to be under guard for the next three days. Sarah wiped away a tear that she felt rolling down her face, and turned to her three friends, who were all sitting on her left. "How much have they told you?" She asked.

Tamari shook her head. "Nothing except that he died last night in the hospital…something about internal bleeding."

Sarah took a deep breath, and calmed herself. "Rayu was wounded, after he left my place and went to a house that Tsunade granted him. He was going inside when he heard noises, and he decided to investigate it. He went upstairs, and then he found the dead Ninja from yesterday afternoon that I had seen. Also, he found the killer.

The killer attacked Rayu, and after a little bit of fighting, Rayu was stabbed pretty bad in his right shoulder, and the killer ran off. Rayu managed to make it back here and to press the buzzer and ask me for help, before he collapsed. I ran down to the front, where Rayu was, and I saw him unconscious on the ground. My father and I ran him to the hospital, and after a couple hours, I called…I called Asaki Watanabi.

The nurse then came to get us, and told us that Rayu was awake and wanting to speak to us. She said that it was really weird since he had lost so much blood, but we all went anyway.

He…he looked so beat up, but I was so happy he was alive. He asked my mom and dad to get him a pad of paper and a pen, and then he was introduced to Asaki. I told him that I had been so afraid, and then he told me that he had been afraid too. I mean, everyone is afraid at times, but I've never really seen him afraid or even heard about him being afraid.

My mom went home, and my dad got Rayu his pen and paper, with which Rayu started to write. It was as if he forgot where he was, and just immediately started to write. Asaki then whispered to me that he felt something was wrong. He didn't know what, but he had never been wrong before.

Then…Rayu put down his papers and ripped out four of them. He had written a letter to Tsunade with the details of his attack, and he told me to get them to Tsunade as soon as possible.

He…he had started to cry, and I realized that Asaki was right. There was something wrong. I set down the papers he gave to me, and then I asked him what was wrong.

He ignored my question and asked Asaki what our story was. Asaki told him, and Rayu stopped crying by the time Asaki was finished. Rayu then turned to me…and he said that he had hoped to make me a house. He had hoped that he would present it to me once I graduated his training sessions in six months, and then he hoped we would get married. I was so happy, and then I realized that he had been saying, 'hoped'.

I asked what he meant, and I was crying. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what to do. He told me…" She paused, combating her emotions. She won after a moment, able to keep her emotions in check, and continued. "He told me that he had lost too much blood. He told me that his wound was open again, and that the doctors had thought that they had fixed him, but they hadn't."

I had placed my left hand on his wounded shoulder earlier, and I glanced down at it. I pulled away my hand and saw that blood was seeping through the bandages, and I had blood on my hand. I yelled for Asaki to run and get the doctors, and Asaki ran out of the room.

He asked…he asked for me to forgive him. He said that he had wanted to be here for me so bad. He was bleeding really badly." She felt awkward saying the next part, but she did anyway. "I…I kissed him. I told him that it was my fault because I wasn't there for him, but he said it wasn't. He told me to stay protected and around friends, because the person who attacked him might come after me. He told me he loved me, and then we kissed again."

She let herself smile a little bit as she was swept back to the particular part of her memory. "It felt like time slowed down, just for us, and it felt like we were flying. I…I just wanted to give him something to hang onto life for, but it didn't….but it didn't work."

She started to cry softly, tears running down her face. "He…he died. He died, and the doctors came in. I backed off, and then they started to check him over, trying to figure out a way to save him. But, they couldn't save him. He had lost too much blood and he couldn't have been resuscitated."

She broke down, and together, the three friends cried. Tamari, Lana, Rachel and Sarah all embraced and cried together. Sarah noted that Lana cried more so than Tamari, Rachel, or even herself. She sobbed out, "Lana…what's…wrong?"

Lana sniffled, and wiped away the steady stream of tears that seemed to never stop. "I…I keep thinking…that I could have left in a…better way than I had…I never…knew that it would be the last time I saw him!" Every time she paused, she would cry a little, and then continue.

Tamari, Rachel, and Sarah all embraced Lana, and after a few minutes, they managed to stop crying. Rachel, who sat closest to Sarah, noticed the seal on Sarah's neck. She whispered out, "Sarah…what's on your neck? Didn't…didn't Rayu have that symbol?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes. He…before he died, he gave it to me. He transferred it onto my body so that I could bring him back to life."

Tamari, Rachel, and Lana all gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean, 'bring him back to life'? It's impossible to raise the dead."

"No it's not. I…I cannot tell you everything yet, but I can tell you that I am going to perform a technique that will bring him back to life in two more days. When he comes back, we'll tell you everything, I swear." Sarah said, wishing she could say more.

The girls nodded uneasily and Tamari whispered, "So…that's why you have Anbu Guards? Because someone may try to kill you?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes. But, it's not just anyone. It's Rayu's old Squad mate Masashi Frinizaki."

Tamari exclaimed, "What? How can that be? I thought he was dead?"

Sarah shrugged. "So did Rayu. But, apparently he hadn't been killed in the ambush, but now he's out there and he's insane."

Tamari nodded and said, "Well, we won't be having group training for a couple of days. We were just assigned an out-of-town assignment. Tsunade said that you needed to stay here, so we came to say goodbye."

Sarah sighed. "I hope you guys come back okay. Is it dangerous?"

Tamari shook her head. "No. We just have to escort a guest emissary back to his land. He came without guards, but he wants to go back with guards, just to show his people that we care about them and hopefully it will spark a good-will trust agreement."

Sarah nodded and said. "Well, I hope you guys come back safely."

The girls embraced Sarah and one by one, they left her room. Tamari, the last one to leave, turned as she was about to exit Sarah's room. She said softly, "I hope that you're right about Rayu being able to come back, Sarah. I…I was really starting to like him. We'll be back in a couple of days, so I hope we can see him when we get back."

Sarah nodded, and followed Tamari out of the room. Tamari left, shutting the front door behind them, and Sarah walked into the living room and towards the kitchen. She did a double take as she noticed two ANBU Guards reclining on the couch, near the kitchen. One had a bird mask with spiky black hair sticking up over the mask and one had a dog mask with a brown ponytail hanging behind his head. It never failed to amaze her how amazing the ANBU were.

She smiled, and was surprised when the bird-masked ANBU coughed and stood. He had a deep voice, and she wondered what he needed. He casually rested his right hand on the sheathed short-sword at his side, and spoke. "Sarah Kasairoze…I…I am deeply sorry to hear about Rayu. I was the first one to meet him on his way back to the village, and I like him immensely, even though we met for maybe five minutes tops. I just wanted to tell you that should Masashi attack…we won't let him get near you."

Sarah smiled. This guard may have seemed intimidating, but she knew he was just another person behind the mask. "Thank you very much. Have either of you eaten yet?" She asked, doing her best to stay polite.

They both nodded, and she pictured them smiling politely behind their masks. "Yes, thank you, Ms. Kasairoze. We've already eaten." This time the dog-masked ANBU spoke.

Sarah smiled, and then walked into the kitchen, where her mother was. She was just finishing breakfast, and Sarah noticed that her mother's eyes were red and puffy. Sarah walked over to her mother, silently. Her bare feet made no sound as she softly walked on the linoleum tiles. She hugged her mother, who was sobbing.

Karen wiped a few tears away and half-giggled, "I'm sorry, sweetie. Here's your breakfast." Sarah didn't take the plate immediately, but hugged her mother a bit more. She was giving comfort, as well as receiving it. Today would be a difficult day, but she wouldn't be going through it alone.

She then took her plate, grabbed a fork, and sat down at the table. Her mother followed suit, after taking off her apron, and they both ate in silence. They could hear the ANBU guards talking softly, but they couldn't hear what they were saying.

Sarah spoke softly. "Mom…do we need any errands run today? If you need anything done, just tell me and I'll do it." Sarah's plan was to stay busy, to stay so busy that she wouldn't have time to think of Rayu.

Her mother nodded. "You read my mind. We both need to stay busy today. So, today we can go to shop at the markets and then after that we might be able to do some girl shopping, and then we can come home and deep clean the house."

Sarah giggled. She imagined the ANBU guards having to stand among the girly dress racks, guarding her, and trying to preserve their dignity. She told her mother, and her mother giggled. "I guess we'll make our shopping quick, for their sake."

They quickly finished their food, and while her mother washed the plates, Sarah walked out of the kitchen and over to the ANBU. She smiled apologetically and said, "Umm, today, we're going to do a few things outdoors. We'll be going to the market, and then we'll be girl shopping for a bit. After that, we'll be coming back here."

The ANBU looked at each other, and the bird-masked ANBU sighed. "The markets…that's one of the hardest places to guard people at. There are so many places for someone to hide and ambush you at, he could even walk straight up to you and attack you before we would be able to see him. Could we convince you not to go?"

Sarah thought about it for a moment. She shook her head. "Rayu explained his seal to me, and said that the seal protects the user and it can even slow time. I think that with the seal, and you two, I should be fine."

The ANBU guards exchanged another look, and then they shrugged. "While it isn't the best choice, I guess we can't do anything more than advise. So, we'll go along with you on this decision."

Sarah smiled. "Thank you."

The dog-masked ANBU guard spoke. He stood to his full height, and Sarah found herself looking at a 6'4" ANBU guard. "However, if we order you to do something, you had better follow the order. We will only order you to do something if it is necessary in saving your life, so remember that. You won't really see us in the market place, but if you hear someone shout an order, follow that order. Understand?"
Sarah nodded, fully aware that not only were they her superiors in rank, but in strategy and they had seen more than she probably ever would. Karen walked out of the kitchen, grabbed her purse, and smiled. "Well, is everyone ready?"

Sarah smiled and said, "Yes." She was surprised when the ANBU guards quickly initiated the Tora, or Tiger, hand sign and a puff of smoke quickly hid them from view. When the smoke cleared a few seconds later, two old women were standing in the same place that the two muscled ANBU had been.

One old woman was wearing a blue coat and a bonnet, and the other was wearing a flowery coat and a yellow bonnet. They nodded and walked, or more like waddled, towards the front door. The one in the blue coat walked out the front door, and the flowery-coated one smiled. She (or he) said kindly, "Are you ready to go or not? Let's go, whippersnappers!"

Her comment made Sarah and Karen laugh as they walked out the front door. The disguised ANBU member smiled and croaked out, "I've always wanted to say that! Hehehe!"

They all laughed and walked out of the door, and went to the elevator and waited with Sarah's guards. Sarah was sure that today would be busy, but not in a hard way. She hoped that there was no need for her guards, and fervently hoped that Masashi was gone and wasn't as obsessed with the Seal as Rayu thought he was.

Masashi Frinizaki, thirteen-year-old Chunin and once good friend to Rayu Tazamaki, was crying. He was on top of a flat-roofed house, lying on his side and letting the morning sun caress his pale yet dirty skin. He had left his temporary hideout, the house that he had been attacked at, only returning late at night so that he could grab something.

Tightly gripped in his gloved right hand, was the headband of the ninja he had killed. The smooth blue fabric was blood stained slightly, and the sun glared off the metal of the headband, half-obscuring the strange symbol in the center of the headband.

Masashi was crying, because he had learned that he had killed Rayu. He had not meant to kill him, he only wanted to hinder him, to stop him from following Masashi to a new hideout. Masashi had seen Rayu run out of the house in a blur, and had followed him. He had seen him collapse in front of Sarah's apartment building, and moments later, Sarah came running.

Masashi realized how bad he had wounded Rayu, and watched from a distance with horror. He had not meant to hurt him that bad. Masashi wasn't even sure how he had injured Rayu. Everything was a blur, and it seemed like he hadn't been in control of his own body.

He had sat outside the window of Rayu's hospital room, and listened in to Rayu's last conversation with Sarah. He shed tears, realizing that he had killed his best friend. When he had seen Sarah clutch her neck after Rayu died, however, he realized that somehow she had gained the Seal.

He had followed the families as they placed Sarah in a new room, and he had listened in on Sarah reading Rayu's last letter. He was surprised at how much Rayu had gathered, and suspected some kind of divine revelation. However, at the news that Rayu thought him insane, and dangerous, Masashi had been stunned. He had been stunned further when he had heard that Rayu would be coming back to life in three days.

However, nothing could ever be the same. They thought that he had meant to kill Rayu, but that was not the case! He had been trying to protect Rayu…protect him from the Demons. He had run off, away from the hospital, and ran back to the house where Rayu had found him. He had untied the headband from the corpse, and fled, aware that Tsunade would send people to investigate the house.

He had fallen asleep on the roof he was now crying on. He had woken, and then realized what had happened yesterday. He had started to cry, and he realized that something was wrong with him. He should never have fought Rayu…what had he been thinking? Why had he tried to fight Rayu at all?

Masashi stood, staggering wearily, and racked his brains for hints of why he did why he did. Was he under the control of someone? Had someone followed him? At that thought, he looked around, as if expecting to see someone watching him, waiting to stalk him.

He shook his head, and thought hard back to yesterday. He remembered the teachings of his teacher, Tannith Sukara, on how to determine if your mind has been tampered with. He quickly ran through the memories of yesterday when Rayu barged into the room. He inspected them closely, looking for a disturbance of any kind, any kind of irregularity.

He found nothing, and realized how desperately he had hoped that someone had tampered with his memories so he would have an excuse. What in the world had possessed him to hurt his best friend? Was he really insane?

He had to find Sarah. He had to tell her that he wasn't insane! He had to warn her, that not only had Rayu been in danger, but he was, and so was she. He staggered to the edge of the roof, and was surprised as he looked down. He was overlooking the markets, above the crowds of people, and something caught his eye.

Weaving through the crowds and buying foods and supplies with her mother, was Sarah Kasairoze. It was hard not to see her, because her red hair was like a flag. His heart raced. He could clear his account now!

Then he remembered that Sarah would have ANBU Guards. He didn't know how many, but he guessed it would be three or four. He quickly glanced at the people around Sarah, looking for the ANBU Guards. He knew they would be disguised, but he knew that they would stay near Sarah at all times. It took a few minutes, but he was able to spot two old women who stayed relatively close to Sarah.

They walked like old ladies, they talked like old ladies, and they talked like old ladies, but their mannerisms weren't those of old women. They gave subtle hints, ones that he wasn't sure if he even saw. They were good at hiding themselves, but they couldn't completely extinguish the subtle way a man acts. Masashi grinned, and was aware that he could at least prevent the guards from attacking him.

He reached into a pouch tied around his waist, attached to his pants, and pulled out a handful of sand. He put the headband that was in his left hand into his front left pocket, and prepared his plan. He felt his adrenaline rush as he thought of his plan, and he chuckled. Assuming that those two ANBU were the only ones, he would be able to quickly talk to Sarah, and then leave.

He jumped down off the rooftop, making sure that he would land behind the two old women. He just hoped that they were really the ANBU guards, and not two innocent old women. He landed behind the two old women, who turned around faster than they should have been able to at their age. He quickly shifted some sand to both hands, and extended his hands. His hand was flat, like a knife, and he jabbed it straight into their chests. The disguise was cast off, revealing two well-muscled ANBU guards.

Masashi yelled, "Sand Spread!" At the announced attack, he surged his Chakra into the sand that was sticking to his hand. The Sand surged up the men's bodies, expanding and gathering more sand and dust from the air, and within a few milliseconds, faster than the ANBU could react, their bodies were encased in sand. He surged his Chakra once more, hardening the sand so they couldn't break out, and withdrew his hand.

The crowd around him had just realized what was going on, and began to run away from him, screaming. Masashi simply walked forward, towards a confused Sarah Kasairoze. Sarah looked around, obviously looking for her guards. The streets cleared as people ran indoors, leaving the two paralyzed guards, Masashi, Sarah, and her mother in the streets.

Sarah's eyes widened as she saw him, and whispered in terror. "Masashi."

Masashi walked forward, and was surprised when Sarah's mother quickly stepped in front of her daughter. She was acting as a shield. Masashi shook his head, and spread his arms away from his body, indicating he meant no harm. Karen didn't move, but stared coldly at him. He felt his body shiver in fear of the older woman.

Sarah stepped out from behind her mother, and pulled her mother away from Masashi. Masashi smiled in greeting and said, "Sarah. I've never really met you in person, but I'm sure you know who I am." He had hoped that she would be receptive to him, but he knew that he would have to try harder.

He pulled out the headband from his left pocket, and extended it, making sure she saw the symbol. "Sarah…the Demons are here." He said, and saw her shiver. She knew what he was talking about. He grinned and figured he had better explain, just to make sure.

----------------------------------------

Sarah's blood ran cold when the crowd started to scream and run, and she knew what was happening. She told her mother. "Masashi is here." She said, and looked around for her guards.

She spotted them when the streets cleared, and she saw them encased in sand. Masashi walked towards her, a smile on his lips. The boy was only thirteen, but he scared her. She let his name escape from her lips in a whisper of terror. "Masashi."

Her mother stepped in front of her, presenting a shield for her daughter. Sarah was too afraid to move, but she saw Masashi shake his head and spread his arms away from his body, indicating he had no weapons and meant no harm.

Sarah regained her senses, and gently pulled her mother away from Masashi in case he tried to attack. She then turned to him, and felt a cold shiver crawl up her spine when he smiled at her. Rayu's killer…was right here…standing in front of her, and he was smiling.

"Sarah. I've never really met you in person, but I'm sure you know who I am." He said, and she was surprised to hear that young voice sound so formal and grown up. It was strange, and frightening.

He drew a bloodstained headband from h is pocket and extended towards her. Her eyes grew wide, and she shivered as she saw the symbol in the middle of the metal plate. He spoke five words that shook her world. "Sarah…the Demons are here." He said.

He grinned, and she felt her heart rate go up. The weird symbol that Rayu said he had seen…glistened in the sunlight. It was a straight line, but at each end was a curved line that went up, and then curved back down, giving it the appearance of horns. She whispered, "I suspected…but I didn't think that they would find us. I had hoped that Rayu would remember eventually, and that he would save us. He was our only hope." As she spoke, she felt her courage build, along with her anger.

"He was our only hope, Masashi. Then…you killed him. You killed the one man that could have beat them and saved us. You killed your own teammate!" She screamed the last part, making sure he understood how bad things were.

He stepped back, as if he had been slapped. However, she didn't let him off the hook. She stepped towards him, and slapped him. He stumbled backwards, tears in his eyes. Her anger was building, and she felt a slight burning on her neck. She ignored it, and continued to speak to Masashi.

"You…you killed him Masashi. Why? Why did you even attack him? You took the oath to protect him, not to kill him! You, Draken, Zennith, Kai, and even Tannith were all supposed to protect him!" She yelled, and he seemed to shrink at the onslaught of her words.

He threw up his hands defensively and dropped the headband. He shivered in fear, and she pitied him. Angry tears rolled down her face, and she demanded an answer. "Why, Masashi?"

Masashi's arms fell by his sides, limp and without will to even fight. Tears rolled down his face as he said, "I don't know. I…I'm not even sure why. I…I didn't mean to. I didn't even want to!"

Sarah's heart melted in pity for this thirteen-year-old. He looked up at her, a strange new look in his eyes. His voice changed as he spoke, and his eyes seemed to give off a strange red glow. "You want to know why, Sarah Kasairoze?" His voice was deeper, manlier, and it sent a chill up her spine.

His voice hissed in amusement. "Because…it's because he's been cursssed! Hehehe!" Sarah's heart stopped. She knew what was happening. Masashi wasn't just cursed…but he had been possessed somehow. Either through a Jutsu, or physically, he had been implanted with an evil presence.

She took a step backwards, and stammered out, "I-I-I r-rebuke you!"

Masashi reeled backwards as if punched. "How dare you, you little wench!" He growled, clutching his gut. He reached down his right leg, and pulled out a kunai.

He rushed at her, kunai gripped so that he could stab her in the heart. The burning on her neck picked up in intensity, and time slowed. She saw Masashi's body moving slowly, seemingly slower than a snail. She stepped a little off to the side, grabbed his arm in her left hand, and his throat in her right hand. Time resumed its normal speed, and the Possessed Masashi stopped in his tracks.

Sarah kicked him in the gut, adding a burst of Chakra to send him flying backwards. He flew through the air, flailing, and slammed into a wall. He groaned, and stood. "It'll take more than that to remove me from this boy!" He chuckled, and she smiled.

"Don't worry. That was just to get you to back off." She said, and then the Possessed Masashi's face went slack. Sarah carefully brought her hands up in front of her, and the Evil Presence flinched. She closed her eyes in concentration, took a deep breath, and began to move her hands.

Within two seconds, Sarah made a total of fifteen hand signs. This Jutsu was unique, taught only to people in her village just for this kind of occasion. Bird, Ram, Dog, Dragon, Snake, Ram, Monkey, Rat, Tiger, Hare, Horse, Tiger, Ox, Boar, Bird. She went through the names as her hands made the symbols, her hands nothing more than a blur until she ended on the Bird sign. She felt her Chakra build up, and then release into an external attack.

She yelled, "Divine Separation: Release of the 8 Anchors!" Her eyes flew open, revealing golden irises instead of her natural blue. Her hands glowed with golden energy, and she was glad to see Masashi cower. Her eyes saw Masashi, but at the same time, they saw into the Spiritual realm. She could see a strange, twisted looking creature with eight arms. Each arm ended in a long, sick looking point and each point was buried in Masashi's body. The creature looked like a purple slug of some kind with no eyes and a large mouth full of pointed teeth.

She did not need to glance down to know that underneath her, a golden diagram was on the dirt, glowing. It had strange, yet angelic looking script along the outside of a circle. Inside the circle, there was a strange symbol, almost a star, and at each of the seven points, there was an angelic symbol. The golden glowing diagram cast an eerie glow on her even in the bright morning/afternoon sun.

The edge of the diagram circle barely touched the toes of Masashi, but it was enough to let her do her Jutsu. She hopped forward, roughly five feet, and formed her hands into the shapes of knives, similar to what Masashi did to the ANBU guards. However, she did not just thrust her hands into Masashi's chest.

She could see little red dots where the Dark Creature's arms were impaled into Masashi, and she planned to release his hold. The arms were placed in: the top of Masashi's head, his right shoulder, his left shoulder, his neck, the middle of his spine, his right hip, his left hip, and the last one was actually anchored around the base of Masashi's spine.

She struck each point, on the surface of Masashi's skin, shooting the golden energy from her hands at each impact. The golden energy lanced straight through Masashi's body wherever she struck, injuring the creature's arms and forcing it to withdraw each spindly and evil limb. However, with each impact, it also injured Masashi. It was not a serious injury, but it would hurt nonetheless. Sarah struck seven of the spots, but then she had to strike three times on the eighth spot. The Dark Being did not want to let go.

On her tenth total hit, the creature let go, screeching. She then grabbed the creature, and pulled him towards her, into the middle of the diagram. The creature stumbled, crawling like a spider on its eight legs. The creature seemed blinded, even without eyes, and stayed still. The creature, in the middle of the diagram, became visible to the now sane Masashi, to Karen, and even the two ANBU guards.

Sarah formed the second and last part of the attack that she had learned, and formed seven more hand signs. Her eyes closed in concentration again. Dog, Hare, Monkey, Ram, Dragon, Boar, and Tiger! She thought, and her hands responded accordingly.

She yelled her attack as her Chakra was discharged again. "Divine Separation: Seal of Mortality!"

She opened her eyes, which were still golden, and she bent down where she was. She was at the edge of the circle, and she put her right hand flat down onto one of the symbols at the end of one of the seven points. She grabbed at it, and pulled it straight from the diagram. It glowed in her hand, and she ran forward. She slammed the first symbol into the head of the slimy purple creature, and moved with speed similar to that of Rayu.

She was nothing but a blur of motion as she pulled up the remaining six symbols and slapped them onto the beast along its back, giving it a stripe of symbols down its back. She then backed out, and the beast gave a cry that sounded like someone scraping his or her nails across a chalkboard.

The seal shrunk, leaving only the creature standing there, trembling. The ANBU Guards gave a cry, and with a burst of Chakra, broke out of their Sand Prisons. They pulled their katana's out of the sheaths on their backs, and sprang at the beast.

It gave another cry, which gave Sarah goose bumps, but it was silenced as the men plunged their swords into the beast and killed it. The carcass of the beast collapsed to the ground, and Sarah gave a sigh of relief. Masashi blinked a few times and then mumbled, "Sarah?"

He collapsed to the ground, and the ANBU guards ran over and picked him up. One pulled out cuffs to keep him from escaping, but stopped when Sarah protested. "Wait! He is not dangerous! He wasn't the one who killed Rayu…it was that thing." At the word 'thing', she indicated to the monster's corpse.

The ANBU guards put away the cuffs, and said, "Well, what now?"

The bird-masked ANBU had Masashi in his arms, and he said, "I think we should take him to the hospital first, and then bring Tsunade down to see him."

His companion nodded and said, "Fine. I'll take the carcass of the beast and take it for examination. Sarah…come with us." He turned, whipping his brown ponytail around and he walked towards the dead beast.

She looked at her mom for permission, who simply nodded to signify that she could go. Sarah smiled and said, "Thanks. I'm sorry we didn't get to do a girls day out. I should be back before dinner."

Karen nodded, and watched as her daughter ran off with her two burdened ANBU guards. Sarah followed her guards, one with Masashi in his arms, and one with the dead beast over his shoulder. The words that Masashi spoke before he had been overtaken and possessed echoed in her head. The Demons are here.

Five hours passed since 10:00 am, when Masashi had been registered to the hospital. It was three pm. Tsunade, Sarah, Shizune, Sarah's two ANBU guards, and a doctor were all in a hospital room with Masashi. Masashi had been fed and well cared for, and Tsunade had just been briefed about their experience with Masashi in the market place.

They were all sitting around Masashi, who was no longer wearing his headband/bandanna. His face was still young looking, but with his messy hair released, he looked his proper age. He was thirteen, but he had been through things that he shouldn't have had to go through. Just like Rayu.

Sarah sat directly at the foot of his bed, so that he would be able to see her. He was in his hospital gown, underneath the soft white covers of the bed. Tsunade had just asked him softly for his story about what had happened, and he was fidgeting.

Sarah could tell that he was struggling with the reality that he had killed one of his best friends, and she spoke up. "Masashi…you don't have to go into detail. All we need is to know what happened and how you survived, and possibly how you could have become possessed." She said this gently.

Masashi looked up at them, his brown/hazel eyes glistening with tears. His eyes were full of emotional pain, and she recognized this look as one that Rayu had used while he was explaining to her the details of his survival. She felt her heart moved, and she felt tears rising as she was whisked back to that moment.

She stood, and walked over to the side of the bed. She sat next to him, and pulled him into an embrace. He put his head onto her bare shoulder, and felt tears fall onto her skin. He sobbed, and she made gentle soothing noises as he let out his emotions.

He spoke while he cried, managing to get out a good amount of information. "Rayu…Rayu was right when he strung the words together that I had painted on the walls of the house. I don't know how, but he knew it as good as I did. Last night when Sarah read the letter to you, Rayu was right. Everything he said was right.

"Back on the night of the ambush, I wasn't killed. I was launched into some kind of illusion world that knocked me into a coma. I guess that they implanted me with that…creature. However, when they were all killed, that Genjutsu was released. It took me a while to regain consciousness, but when I did, I found the graves filled and the enemies all strung up to trees.

"I examined the graves, trying to figure out who had survived and put up the graves, and I figured out that it was Rayu. I allowed myself a day of rest, trying to recuperate after that Genjutsu. When I was ready, I took off after Rayu. I was obsessed with him, I admit that, but only because he was the last living member of my squad. Then…and then when I found him…I killed him. I killed my best friend!"

At this, he broke down, and it took more than five minutes to calm him down. Tsunade motioned for Shizune to do something, and Shizune walked over to closed hospital door. She opened the door, and made a beckoning gesture with her hand.

Into the room walked a tearful Kurenai Frinizaki, his mother Cherie Frinizaki, and his father Ryubi Frinizaki. Kurenai ran past everyone, and jumped onto Masashi. He laughed, tears still flowing down his face, and embraced his little sister. Masashi's mother wasn't that far behind. While she didn't jump onto Masashi, she came around the bed and embraced him in a bear hug. His father did likewise, and Sarah removed herself from the tangle of limbs.

She smiled, and turned to Tsunade. Tsunade was smiling as well, and she said, "Well, I don't think that we'll get much out of Masashi for a while." She stood, and turned to leave. She said over her shoulder, "Sarah, I would like to talk with you in the privacy of my office, and," she stopped and spoke louder, addressing Masashi, "Masashi, I would like you to report to me after five days of recuperation."

Masashi looked over the huddle of his family and nodded joyfully. Sarah smiled, and followed Tsunade, Shizune, and the two ANBU guards out of the hospital. They all walked in silence, each reflecting in their own thoughts until they were in Tsunade's office.

The walk to the office was short, but the silence throughout the entire trip made it seem longer than it actually was. By the time that they were in Tsunade's office, Sarah was shifting uncomfortably in the chair she had been pointed to. Tsunade seated herself, and Shizune did likewise. Tsunade indicated for the two ANBU members to sit down as well, and they did. Therefore, the two ANBU guards and Sarah were facing Tsunade and Shizune behind the Hokage's desk, and it made Sarah remember the times at the academy when she was sent to the Headmaster's office.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow when Sarah giggled, and asked what was so funny. Sarah shook her head, and made herself stop. She kept her face straight and said, "Nothing. I'm sorry."

Tsunade nodded and said, "Okay…Sarah, you seem to know about the things surrounding Rayu and what has been going on around here more than I do. So, I want you to tell me some things. First, what was that creature? There are no creatures that look like that that have been discovered in the world so far."

Sarah shifted uncomfortably again. "That beast was what was known as a Possessor. It was a Lesser Demon."

Tsunade nodded. "Okay. The ANBU guards said that you performed some kind of Jutsu that we have never heard of before. They said that you hit Masashi, and then pulled something off him, and when it stepped into what looked like some kind of diagram where you had been standing, that demon became visible. What Jutsu did you use?"

Sarah fidgeted while she spoke, becoming nervous. "It was a Jutsu taught to Rayu and me when we were little, it was taught to us from our village. It is two separate Jutsu, but they have to be used together if you want to bring a demon to the Physical Realm. The Jutsu are known as 'Divine Separation: Release of the 8 Anchors', and 'Divine Separation: Seal of Mortality'."

Tsunade nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you. Now…what village would you be talking about? Rayu told me that he knew some things, like you two were from a different village, but you knew much more than him. What village taught you that Jutsu?"

Sarah started to sweat. She owed her allegiance to two different villages. The village she had been born in, and the village she had been raised in. She didn't know if the world was ready to find out about her village yet, but she didn't want to lie. "Madame Hokage, I…I would really like to tell you. Believe me, I am thankful for everything that you've done for Rayu and me. But, I'm not sure if you and the world are ready to find out about the village yet. If you want, you can ask Rayu when he comes back with all his memories. But, I don't feel like it's my place to tell you." She said, sweating profusely. She was nervous about where this conversation could go, and how much she would reveal.

Tsunade frowned, clearly not liking Sarah's answer, but she accepted it. "Fine. I will ask Rayu when he is brought back. Now, what other Jutsu from that village do you know? Is there anything that you can teach other people? The Jutsu that you and Rayu can use…is astounding. I have never seen anything like the Jutsu that Rayu used during the trials, and I have a feeling that he knows more." She said, leaning eagerly forward in her chair.

Sarah shrugged. "I only know that Rayu learned the 'Rei Blast' from a memory of his father. I know a few others, but I can only reveal two of them. The others are for my own use only. Think of them as 'clan' secrets which only members of a certain clan can know."

Tsunade nodded and said, "We would be grateful if you could record them in a scroll." She motioned for Shizune, and Shizune brought out an ink bottle, a dip pen, and a blank scroll. Sarah took them, and quickly started to write the instructions on how to perform four Jutsu, two of them being the 'Divine Separation' Jutsu.

It took maybe ten minutes to properly write the instructions, and when she was done, she handed the scroll to Shizune. Tsunade smiled, and said, "Thank you very much, Sarah. Now, I have two more questions for you."

Sarah nodded, indicating she would answer. Tsunade smiled softly. "Are you doing alright since last night?" Her voice was gentle, caring, and even motherly.

Sarah smiled back. "I'm doing okay. I…I miss him, but I know that if I can do things right, I can bring him back."

Tsunade nodded. "Okay. Last but not least: how would you feel about me assigning you to Asaki Watanabi's squad to keep you busy until your squad gets back?"

Sarah considered it, and then said, "I think that I would be fine with it. I need something to keep me busy anyway."

Tsunade smiled. "Good. Tomorrow, you will report to training field 23 and train with Asaki and his Squad."

Sarah nodded, and then stood. The ANBU members also stood and Sarah said, "I won't be needing guards anymore. Thank you two very much for everything you went through today for me."

They inclined their heads politely, and she walked out of the Hokage's office. She was about to start walking down the hall, when she noticed a blur of motion out of the corner of her right eye. Her hand instinctively whipped down and grabbed her kunai, and she turned slightly as she brought up her weapon.

She was startled to find her kunai knife resting lightly on the throat of Asaki Watanabi. He had a look of surprise on his face and he stammered, "W-w-well hello, Sarah."

She flushed a deep red, embarrassed at her actions, and put away her kunai. "I'm so sorry, Asaki. I thought…well, I don't know what I was thinking." She said, lying. She had thought that it might have been an enemy…a Demon.

He smiled gently. "It's okay. I guess I shouldn't have startled you like that. I heard you had been in the hospital, so I ran over there, and then they said that you left with the Hokage. So, I came over here."

Sarah blushed. "How did you hear I was in the hospital?" She asked.

He shrugged, smiling. "I have my sources. You see, my uncle is a doctor. I asked him if he saw you in the hospital, to call me and let me know."

Sarah smiled. "Thank you for being concerned about me."

He nodded, smiling still. "Um…I came by to see if you would like to go out to dinner." As soon as he said this, they both turned a deep red, and he quickly added a sentence. "I mean, as friends you know. To, uh, see how you are handling everything."

They stood awkwardly for a moment, before Sarah could speak up. "Um, I'd have to ask my mom. She was planning on just her and me for dinner, so I would have to call and ask."

Asaki nodded, and mumbled a little. "I…uh…I already asked your mother. She said that it was fine just as long as you were home before 11:00."

Sarah flushed a deeper red. He had called her mother and asked? He must have really wanted to see her. She cleared her throat, wiped a little bit of perspiration of her forehead, and stammered, "W-w-well, I…uh…I'm not really dressed up to go anywhere." She indicated her loose red shorts, her white tank top, and her ninja sandals.

He smiled. "Well, it just so happened that your mother thought that through and told me to give you this." He extended his right hand, which had been behind his back the entire time, and showed her a plastic bag.

Sarah took it, and was surprised to see a beautiful dress from her own closet. It flattered her figure, and it was modest. Sarah smiled. "Well, let me go get changed."

Asaki nodded, and pulled his left hand from behind his back. He had a plastic bag, which she guessed held his clothes. They both smiled, and walked a little ways down the hall to the bathrooms. As soon as she was in the bathroom, Sarah quickly went into a stall and changed.

She was surprised to see that underneath the dress, in the bag, her mother had put some makeup and a pair of high-heels. She shook her head. What is she trying to do? She thought. Then she remembered. Her mother did not believe that Rayu was coming back, so she was probably making sure that if he did not come back, Sarah would have a potential someone.

Sarah washed away all the sweat she had accumulated, put on her dress, took off her ninja headband and brushed her hair, put on her makeup, and put on her high heels. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, and was surprised. Her mother had packed all the right things that would make Sarah look stunning.

Sarah had her red hair brushed the way she normally had it, but this time she didn't wear her ninja headband. Her hair was shining, and she was astounded. Her mother must have put some kind of substance on the brush she had included in the bag. Sarah wore a light covering of makeup, nothing more than some mascara, eyeliner, a light powder for her cheeks, and a soft pink lipstick.

Her dress was a sleeveless pink silk dress that came down to her knees, had a slightly open back that revealed her soft white skin, and a low cut neck that didn't reveal anything. It was seductive, yet modest. It was beautiful, yet plain. Around her waist was a darker pink silk strip of fabric that she tied to a beautiful knot behind her back. Her white high-heels had been cleaned and looked brand new, and she was surprised at how beautiful she looked. She felt guilty immediately, sad that she had never dressed up for Rayu like this.

She put her discarded clothes and shoes into the plastic bag, along with her makeup, and tied it off. She then took a few deep breaths, examining herself once more. She was surprised that she could pick out the spot where Rayu's seal was, rather easily. It was in plain sight, but nobody would really notice it. She calmed herself, then walked out of the bathroom, and saw Asaki waiting patiently for her.

She smiled at him, and was surprised to see him wearing a black tuxedo, nice dress shoes, a bow tie, and his usually spiked black hair was brushed down and gelled. He looked handsome, and his green eyes sparkled as he saw her. His mouth opened a little in a smile, and she could tell that his breath had been taken away.

They stood, silent, a couple of feet away from each other, looking each other over. Finally, Asaki was able to get out a greeting. "W-wow. You look divine! Has the beautiful goddess decided to grace this mere mortal with her radiant presence?" He asked, teasing slightly, and taking her left hand in both of his. He kissed her hand, being all gentleman, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

He kept his eyes locked on hers as he kissed her hand, and she almost fainted. She smiled, and as he straightened and presented his arm for her to hook hers in, said, "Thank you very much, Asaki. You look really great, too."

She hooked her arm in his, and they walked down the hall, silent but content. She was surprised to see a rickshaw waiting for them, and asked, "Where are we going?"

He simply gave her a charming smile and said, "Oh…here and there."

He was being elusive on purpose, but she enjoyed it. He helped her into the rickshaw, and then climbed on himself. He smiled at the sturdy man who was pulling the cart, and said, "You know where to go."

The man smiled, and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Watanabi."

The man pulled the cart, and soon, the two friends were riding along, watching the sunset. The beautiful display took Sarah's breath away, and Asaki seemed pleased. "I planned it all. I was hoping that whether you were at your house, or anywhere, we would be able to do this tonight. It's going to be amazing."

Sarah looked at him and smiled, and they rode in silence as the sun went down.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, that's then end of Chapter 14! Let me know what you guys think, and Chapter 15 will be on its way soon! Thanks for reading!

Here are the clarification explanations of the two Jutsu that I invented. This will help you understand what exactly it does. Next chapter will be the dinner between Sarah and Asaki and then her experiences before she goes to sleep.

Oh, by the way, a rickshaw is: a cart that can carry one or two people that is pulled by a person as a method of transportation.

DIVINE SEPERATION: RELEASE OF THE 8 ANCHORS

The 8 anchors are the traditional 8 spots that a Possessor usually attaches itself to its host, so the Release of the 8 Anchors is self-explanatory. The user of the Jutsu draws upon a heavenly power, and a heavenly diagram appears underneath them. The seven points of the star-like symbol are symbolic of perfection.

This Jutsu allows the user to see into the Spiritual Plane of Existence, and this Jutsu is meant only for Demons, which possess their hosts through the 8 anchors. The target of this Jutsu has to have some body part in the diagram, which is roughly 5 feet around the user, otherwise it would not work. The user then shoots a painful energy, similar to the HYUGA'S ability to shoot Chakra out of the Chakra Holes in their palms for their attacks, into one of the 8 points. It causes physical damage on the host, related to the force of a punch, but the pain experienced by the Possessor is magnified by 10x that of a punch.

Once the Possessing Demon is removed, the user can either pull them to the physical realm to kill them, or leave them be. When they are left alone, they will not die but will simply hover around their ex-host waiting for another opportunity to possess them.

DIVINE SEPERATION: SEAL OF MORTALITY

This is the second half of the Divine Separation Jutsu. This Jutsu locks the Possessing demon in a kind of stasis, paralyzing the demon so that they can't attack the user. Once the demon is successfully trapped inside of the diagram, the seven symbols on the outside of the seven-pointed star-like symbol are used to seal the Demon to the physical realm. The demon experiences a few moments of disorientation, presenting the user with enough time to kill the demon with a powerful Jutsu,

While the demons in the Physical realm aren't as strong as when they're in the spiritual realm, if you miss your window of opportunity while the demon is pulled into the physical realm, they will be 10X harder to kill.